Tees Valley to bid for City of Culture 2025 with Hartlepool backing

Peter Tennick

The Tees Valley has declared its intent to bid to become the UK City of Culture in 2025.

Professor Graham Henderson made the exciting announcement at a Tees Valley Culture summit today which has been backed across the area, including in Hartlepool.

Paul Booth

Professor Henderson, the former Vice-Chancellor of Teesside University, chaired a Task and Finish Group made up of representatives from Tees Valley Unlimited (TVU), the university, the five Tees Valley local authorities, including Hartlepool Borough Council, Arts Council England and other cultural groups which made the recommendation as part of a broader culture report.

The report features a number of recommendations endorsed by Tees Valley Unlimited to be taken forward through a partnership of the five local authorities working with the wider public and private sectors and the extensive network of independent cultural practitioners in the area.

The group spent the last year exploring how to enhance the Tees Valley’s cultural offer and ensure it better supports the area’s ambitious economic plans by supporting not only growth in the tourism and visitor economy, but in the creative industries, and how culture can be utilised to address issues around employment, education, health and wellbeing and social inclusion.

As part of this work the group has proposed that TVU and its partners should declare an intent to bid for UK City of Culture 2025.

Over the coming months and years we will be inviting everyone to join this exciting journey. We urge everyone to get involved in this marvellous opportunity to tell the world all about our contemporary strengths as well as our historic achievements.

Paul Booth, chairman of Tees Valley Unlimited

Professor Henderson said: “The group believes that over the next 10 years the Tees Valley can achieve a step change by working towards city-scale cultural programmes and the run up to 2025 will be a catalyst to drive greater collaboration and exciting new developments.”

Experts say there is “an abundance to see, do and enjoy right across the Tees Valley” and the move for Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience to become part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy will be a cultural boost to the Tees Valley.

Paul Booth, chairman of Tees Valley Unlimited, added: “A successful UK City of Culture bid would create a long-term legacy which could generate massive social and economic benefits for many years to come. The bid will be developed in consultation with communities and organisations across the Tees Valley. Over the coming months and years we will be inviting everyone to join this exciting journey. We urge everyone to get involved in this marvellous opportunity to tell the world all about our contemporary strengths as well as our historic achievements.”